Dick Meaney has been appointed new agricultural sales manager of Pinergy SolarElectric, it was announced on Friday 20 May.

The Kilkenny native's role will focus on driving national sales in the agricultural division, Pinergy said.

"Dick will be supporting farmers to become more sustainable in the long term by embracing renewable technologies through solar PV, helping them to reduce their carbon footprint at farm level while simultaneously enabling them to reduce energy costs on the farm," Pinergy said.

Dick’s core areas of responsibility will be advising farmers across the country on their renewable and microgeneration strategy, while supporting them with their broader sustainability challenges particularly in managing agricultural emissions.

Wealth of experience

Speaking about the new appointment, head of commercial sales at Pinergy Michael Norton said: "Dick comes to us with a wealth of experience working in the agriculture and renewables sector.

"We are looking forward to building a new future for the agri-solar energy market where farmers can reap the long-term benefits of solar energy, including generating their own energy 365 days a year, as well as earning revenue from any excess solar energy generated with suppliers like Pinergy."

Commenting on his appointment, Dick said that he looks forward to helping farmers across Ireland think differently about their renewable energy needs.

Climate targets

"With 2030 climate targets coming into sharp focus, there is a lot that the sector can do and should be doing.

"The ESB Networks Mini Gen pilot to pay site owners for excess energy in 150 sites is very welcome for the agri sector and we hope will be opened to many more sites very soon as demand is significant from the farmers that we talk to," he said.

Prior to joining Pinergy, Dick worked in a number of positions, which included development officer for the LEADER Programme at Carlow County Development Partnership, assistant manager at New Ross/Waterford Livestock Mart Ltd, Capita Customer Solutions, quality assurance auditor for Bord Bia and Forestry Services Ltd, agent for Lightsource Renewable Developments Ltd.